Signal for traveling cables.



No. 7'2,2o. Patented 0ct.'28, 9o2.

u. NORDEN. SIGNAL FOR TBAVELING CABLES.

(Application filed HW. 93, 1901.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MORTIMER NORDEN, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE NORDEN- BITTNER ELEOTRIO COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A OORPORA- TION OF NE'W YORK.

SIGNAL FOR TRAVELING CABLES.

SPECIFICATION formng part of Letters Patent No. ?12,201, dated October 28, 1902.

Application filedNovember 23, 1901. Serial No. 83,384. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: with the said blade devices and completes a Be it known that I, MORTIMER NORDEN, a main circuit, drawing over the armature of citizen of the United States, residing in the the relay and closing the local circuit and borough of Manhattamcity, county, and State causing the bell therein to ring and give the of New York, have invented new and useful alarm, so that the cable can be stopped and Improvements in Signals for Traveling Cathe damage repaired. I

bles, of which the followingis a specification. In the drawings, Figure l represents a dia- My invention is designed as an improve grammatic View including a vertical section ment upon the device shown and described of partsillustrative of my invention. Fig. 2

IO in Letters Patent granted to me September is a plan of the circuit-closing blades and 22,1896,No.568,*205. The deviceofsaid pattheir insulating-supports. Fig. 3 is a side ent had special reference to the cables of caelevation of the same, and Figs. 4 and 5 are ble-railways, while the device of my present plans of modified forms of circuit-closing invention is applicable to any traveling cable, blades and their insulating-supports.

15 whether the same be used as the cable of a The cable is represented at a, and at b b' cable-railway or the cable of an elevator, are represented pairs of groovedguide-wheels hoisting device, or any power appliance whatbetween which the cable passes. soever. c c' represent slabs of insulating material The object of the present invention, as of connected to end supports 0 and between 20 the former patent, is to provide a device electhese slabs the cable passes through semicir- 7o trically actuated and which shall instantly cular notohes in the opposite adjacent edges detect one or more broken strands of the caof the said slabs. The said end supports 0 ble and give notice thereof, so that the cable may have othersupports of any desired charmay be at once stopped for the purpose of acter.

25 making repairs and before there has been In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown circuit-elostime foranydamage to be'done by the broken ing blades d d' on the slabs c c', with oppostrand, it being a recognized fact that it is site circular end notches and prongs adjasubstantially inpossible for any one to so cent to said notches, the prongs of one blade watch a moving cable as to detect a broken overlapping those of the adjacent blade and 30 strand unless the same is exceedingly manithe blades secured to the slabs c c' by screws fest. or in any other nanner, and the binding- In my present invention I employ grooved posts 12 13 may be part of the means emguide-rollersfor maintaining the cablein poployed for securing thes-aid blades to the sition and electrical devices and circuits sinisaid slabs. e represents a post secured to the 35 lar to those shown and described in nyaforeunder side of the slab c, of insulating matesaid patent, and in combination therewith I rial, and this post is provided with a springemploy a conductor closely surrounding the blade e', hearing upon the cable. cable, but not in contacttherewith,and an in- The wire 2 of the main circuit connects sulating-support for the same. This device with the post e, and the wire 3 of the main cir- 4o I prefer to comprise slabs of insulating mateenit connects with the binding-posts 12 13. rial between which the cable is adapted to In the main circuit there is a battery 4 and pass and upon said slabs one or more circuita relay-magnet 5, and in the local circuit conclosing blades extending transversely of the nected to said relay I have included the arsaid slabs and having an aperture through mature 6, wires 7 and 8, a battery 9, and

45 which the cable passes, there being suitable switch 10, and the call-bell 11. 5 binding-posts and a spring-blade hearing In the operation of the device the cable upon the cable and to which the wires of the runs through the aperture formed between circuit devices are connected. the adjacent slabs c c' and between the In the operation of the device a broken notched ends of the circuit-closing blades d 5o sti-and of the moving cable comes in contact CZ', the aperture in the slabs being of less di- Ioo ameter than that in and between the ends of the blades, so that the slight swinging of the cable would contact with the insulating material and not with the metal. Thus an accidental completion of the circuit is avoided.

In the case of a broken strand the ends of course protrude from the body of the cable, and with the movement of the cable through the aforesaid parts said strands come in contact With one of the blades d d', thus completing the cireuit through the battery 4, wire 3, one of the binding-posts 12 or 13, the cable, spring-blade e wire 2, and relay-magnet 5, moving the armature 6 and closing the local circuit and ringing the bell 11 to give the alarm to the attendant in charge, so that the machinery moving the cable can be stopped and the broken strand of the cable repaired.

In Fig. 4: I have shown a circuit-closing blade d with an opening larger than the opening through and between the slabs of insulating material c c', and through which opening the cable passes, as it is possible to employ a single plate and a single bindingscrew 14 in completing the circuit when the broken strand comes in contact with said plate. I have also shown in Fig. 5 a single plate d similar to the plate d* in Fig. 4, but provided with radial incisions forming tongues, and also a single binding-post 14. The tongues of the plate d have a yielding function upon contact therewith of the broken strands of the cable similar to the function of the plates d d' in the other figures, it being advantageous that said plates shall yield slightly to obviate the liability of injury to the parts.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combnation with the traveling cable and supports for maintaining it in position, of slabs of insulating material between which the cable passes, a metallio conducting means extending across the path of the said cable and Secured to the slabs and having an aperture through which the cable passes, electrical connections to said conducting means and a device connected to a slab of insulating material and bearing upon the cable, and electric-circui t connections therefrom, and an alarm brought into action by a broken strand or projection from the cable, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the traveling cable and rollers for guiding the same, of adjacent slabs of insulating material having opposite edge notches forming a circular aperture through which the cable passes, devices connecting the said slabs of insulating material and supporting the same, a metallic conducting means extending transversely across the path of the cable and secured to said slabs and having an aperture of larger diameter than the aperture for the cable between the said slabs, a binding-post upon said metallic device, a post and spring-blade bearing upon the cable and Secured to one of said slabs of insulating material, and electric-circuit connections from said posts, and an alarm brought into action by a broken strand or projection from the cable, substantially as specified. i

3. The oombination with the traveling cable and rollers for guiding -the same, of adjacent slabs of insulating material having opposite edge -notches forming a circular aperture through which the cable passes, devices connecting the said slabs of-insulating material and supporting the same, a circuit-closing device extending across the path of the cable at right angles to the slabs and having an aperture of larger diameter than the aperture for the cable between the slabs and having prongs, a binding-post connected to said circuit closing device, a post and springblade connected to one of the slabs of insulating material and hearing upon the traveling cable, electric-circuit connections from said posts and an alarm brought into action by a broken strand or projection from the cable, substantially as specified.

4. The oombination witha cable and supports for the same, of a conductor in the form of a metal plate extending across the path of the cable and closely concentric with the surface of the cable but not in contact therewith, an insulating-s u pport for the conductor, and electric-circuit connections to said cable and conductor, and an alarm brought into action by a broken strand or projection from the cable, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 3`lst .day of October, 1901.

MORTIMER NORDEN.

witnesses:

GEO. T. PINOKNEY, BERTHA M. ALLEN.

IOO 

